Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about White Rock (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for White Rock. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for White Rock ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Another variation: Whiterock.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named White Rock. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for White Rock.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
White Rock is located in Roberts County.
To see how the shape of South Dakota's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Roberts County: Big Stone (MN), Traverse (MN), Richland (ND), Day, Grant & Marshall.
Below are the counties that are near White Rock. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to White Rock:
- Roberts County (The home county of White Rock)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Rosholt
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- New Effington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hammer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hammer is located in Roberts County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammer
- Estimated population in 2014: 241 people
- Claire City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Sisseton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Big Stone County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Barry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Barry is located in Big Stone County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barry
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
- Graceville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Beardsley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Johnson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Johnson is located in Big Stone County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27 people
- Grant County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Norcross
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Norcross is located in Grant County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norcross
- Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
- Herman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Herman is located in Grant County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 445 people
- Wendell
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Elbow Lake
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Otter Tail County (MN)
- Western
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Western is located in Otter Tail County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Western
- Stevens County (MN)
- Chokio
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Traverse County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Wheaton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Tintah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tintah is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tintah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
- Charlesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Charlesville is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Dumont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dumont is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
- Collis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Collis is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collis
- Browns Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Browns Valley is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 522 people
- Wilkin County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Childs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Childs is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
- Tenney
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tenney is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenney
- Estimated population in 2011: 5 people
- Campbell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Campbell is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
- Nashua
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nashua is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Doran
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Doran is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doran
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
- Breckenridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Foxhome
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Foxhome is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxhome
- Population from the 2020 Census: 112 people
- Richland County (ND)
- The following are listed by their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Fairmount
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Oswald
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oswald is located in Richland County (ND)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswald
- Hankinson
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Great Bend
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Wahpeton
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Mantador
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview Junction
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview Junction is located in Richland County (ND)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Junction
- Dwight
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dwight is located in Richland County (ND)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwight
- Population from the 2020 Census: 77 people
- Mooreton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lidgerwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to White Rock, see our County-by-County Page for White Rock.
Cemeteries Near White Rock ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of White Rock.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for White Rock - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for White Rock covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Lake View Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Fairmount Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Immanuel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Bethania Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Nelson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Wildwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Monson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hillside Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sharon Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Calvary Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Continue List (104 more) ...
- St. Nicholaus Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- St. Peter Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Zion Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, White Rock had a post office and railroad service. In 2020, White Rock had a population of 3 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from White Rock, with the one closest to White Rock listed first.
- Wheaton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Childs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Childs is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
- Fairmount
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Tenney
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tenney is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenney
- Estimated population in 2011: 5 people
- Oswald
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oswald is located in Richland County (ND)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswald
- Sonora
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sonora is located in Richland County (ND)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonora
- Tintah
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tintah is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tintah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
- Campbell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Campbell is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
- Tyler
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Tyler is located in Richland County (ND)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
- Dumont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dumont is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
- Norcross
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Norcross is located in Grant County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norcross
- Population from the 2020 Census: 71 people
- Doran
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Doran is located in Wilkin County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doran
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Hankinson
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Great Bend
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Collis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Collis is located in Traverse County (MN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collis
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around White Rock. See our List of 1890's Communities around White Rock.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of White Rock ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around White Rock.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of White Rock. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of White Rock and those printed in the larger area surrounding White Rock.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<2> of White Rock.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to White Rock:
- Websites specific to South Dakota
- Pages specific to Roberts County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Big Stone County
- Grant County
- Otter Tail County
- Stevens County
- Traverse County
- Wilkin County
- Richland County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Dakota
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- White Rock) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <4> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about White Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |